DAYTON — On Sunday, April 23 ten Northmont Middle School students were honored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton at the Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) service at Temple Beth Or for their excellent writing.

These students wrote essays for the Lydia May Memorial essay contest that answered the question: ‘What can we learn from the apathy of those who were silent during the Holocaust?’

Colin Hoyng won first place in Division 1 prose, Lauren Bivens won first place in Division 2 prose, and Jaden and Jayla Peeks tied for first in poetry. Julie Ann Dale was asked to share the last two paragraphs of her piece. Please congratulate these students if you see them.

Below is part of Julie Ann Dale’s piece that she shared.

“Imagine how the years between 1933-1945 would have been if the second the Nazis tried to take away Jewish rights, they found angry mobs of Jews and non-Jews alike at their doorstep. Imagine how 1933-1945 would have been if all the bystanders and witnesses to the Holocaust had spoken out together, or alone, against the Nazis. I would imagine that the Holocaust simply would never have happened. It is possible that Nazis would have still taken over most of Europe, but Jews would have been as safe in their beds as non-Jews were. Now let’s fantasize what the world today would be like if bystanders stopped being silent. I think that perhaps the amount of suicides would decrease dramatically, or maybe that half of the bombings in all kinds of buildings and structures would never take place.

Many people paid and still pay today the price for bystander’s silence. If bystanders had stood up in the past or if they start to stand up in the present, then the world might be surprised at the difference it’ll find in itself.”